Blog | Continuant

Retirement Never Comes: Frustrations with Legacy Communications Systems

Written by David Shelby | September 5, 2025

Cloud communications, UCaaS, CCaaS, VoIP, hybrid workspaces, remote collaboration, and all the good things we associate with modern business aren’t new. They’ve been around, in some cases, for decades. The promises that they would replace your legacy equipment also aren’t new; promises of reduced costs, greater flexibility, more remote options, sleek dashboards, less complexity, you name it. 

And yet, despite everything, the legacy systems remain.  

A wise man once said, “knowing is half the battle.” His more pessimistic cousin would add, “knowing is only half the battle.” You’ve done the demos, read the Gartner reports, and now you know so much you could map an entire UCaaS ecosystem in your sleep. Still, the organization remains risk averse, compliance-heavy, and allergic to change.  

Continuant Connect and C4 are designed to fix the frustrations born of legacy systems in a way that minimizes risk, maintains compliance, and makes change nice and easy. 

You’ve done the demos, read the Gartner reports, and now you know so much you could map an entire UCaaS ecosystem in your sleep. Still, the organization remains risk averse, compliance-heavy, and allergic to change.  

Why Legacy Lives On 

You’ll be hard pressed to find a user in any organization who wants to use a desk phone over their mobile device or a fax machine over an app on their laptop. These systems don’t remain because users are chomping at the bit to use them. The truth is that legacy systems still have dependencies even in the modern era. 

The old PRI (primary rate interface) is a system that carriers are looking to move away from, but many enterprises still run IVR workflows, alerts, and alarms through PBX systems connected to the PRI. While moving away from the PRI is a matter of when not if, there’s a risk of disrupting key services by doing so and potentially screwing up E911 compliance. 

Speaking of compliance, plenty of companies, especially in finance, healthcare, and the government, follow strict guidelines such as HIPPA and PCI. Even small changes can require re-certification and new audits, tedious procedures with price tags many stakeholders may be unwilling to pay. A legacy system that’s been compliant with every guideline for 10+ years may cause frustrations but changing it can cause bigger trouble. 

That’s the real issue here. From fax machines to PBXs, legacy systems combine an antiquated look with integral functionality. They’re tough weeds to pull, which is where companies like Continuant come in handy. 

The Continuant Approach to Leaving your Legacy 

Continuant started nearly 30 years ago working with these legacy systems. Our old guard could regale anyone with stories of the long hours they spent maintaining Toshiba servers in the 90s.  

The world has changed a lot since then and so have we. Our newest offerings, Continuant Connect and C4, were built to address that. While they’re fully cloud-based solutions, they’re designed to integrate with legacy systems, providing a better option than ripping and replacing. 

Continuant Connect lets you migrate to the cloud on your own time. With hybrid calling options, you’ll be able to seamlessly integrate your legacy systems with calling solutions like Teams, Zoom, and Webex. Best of all, legacy and cloud communications alike all get streamlined within Continuant Connect, giving your users one window into the whole environment. 

With Continuant Connect, migration becomes a ramp rather than a cliff, letting you modernize where it matters most without betting the farm. 

Continuant Connect lets you migrate to the cloud on your own time. With hybrid calling options, you’ll be able to seamlessly integrate your legacy systems with calling solutions like Teams, Zoom, and Webex.

The Legacy Migration in Action 

Many of our customers come to us in a situation just like we’ve described. They have a legacy system that they need to keep for any of the reasons mentioned earlier, but they also know that a cloud migration is going to happen sooner or later. 

They come to us for our combined skills in legacy system maintenance and modern solution architecture. The results often speak for themselves. 

Bayler University is one such example. This Texas-based research institution used an old Nortel CS1000. With each passing year it became harder to maintain, but the university simply had too many analog endpoints. Continuant stepped in and connected them all to Microsoft Teams with our expert solutions. 

Our friends at Intrust Bank had a similar experience. Using Continuant Connect, they migrated 1,300 users from their legacy Cisco system to Teams. Once done, they could safely decommission the old Cisco architecture and save boatloads of money. 

Continuant Connect is here to take away the risk, keep everything compliant, and ease your organization into a much-needed change.  

The Results You’re Looking For 

No matter how frustrating a legacy system may be, it’s still there for a reason. The good news is that now you have the perfect solution to either future-proof your analog endpoints or finally move to a place where they can be put to rest.  

Continuant Connect is here to take away the risk, keep everything compliant, and ease your organization into a much-needed change.  

You know what you need. You know what’s out there. Time to finish the other half of the battle.  

Let’s talk about what Continuant Connect can do for you.